This is the first of two parts on the topic of Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is the last of the Genealogy of Christ series. In part one, I am going to cover the Muslim beliefs about Mary that is not only false, but offensive! Then we will cover the veneration of Mary, and Mariolatry. After this I will show you the misconceptions about Mary, Joseph, Jesus and Christmas. This has been a fascinating study and I hope it is for you as well.

“Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”” Luke 2:10-15 (NKJV)

Usually, we see these verses most often around Christmas time. They are printed on cards, church bulletins, Christmas decorations, and most anything else that relates to Christmas. Jesus was not born just to be remembered for Christmas. He was not born for Christmas at all. Jesus was not born on December 25th. At Christmas time and Resurrection Day (Easter), we think of His birth and His death and resurrection. Jesus is our Savior. We honor Him on these days, but we should also honor Him every day of our lives.

Mary was a young girl, by our standards, but in that day when a girl was of menstrual age and had been on a regular cycle for at least a year, she could be married. The age range was usually between the ages of 12 and 14. The same could be said of the boys, they were usually married by 14 as well. Mary was in this age range when she became pregnant with Jesus. She was betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph. He, too, could have been just as young, but he had a skill in carpentry that he chose as his profession and apparently already had a business, so perhaps he was older, in or near his twenties.

There are traditions and writings that claim Joseph was elderly. One Muslim site states in their writings that Joseph was thought to be as old as 90! Mary was a young girl who had been raised in a temple and when she was old enough to marry, they raffled her off and the winner, being Joseph, got her as his wife. None of that is true.[1] According to Wikipedia, the Qur’an reads a little differently than what the above website says, but it is basically saying much the same as the above statement.

From Wikipedia:“The Qur’an narrates that Mary grew up in the temple of the prayer, and had a special place in the temple of her own. She was placed under the care of the prophet Zechariah, her uncle. The Muslim narrative makes it clear that lots were cast as to who should be the guardian of Mary and the outcome was that she should be placed under Zechariah’s care. As often as Zechariah entered Mary’s prayer chamber, he found her provided with food and he would ask her where she received it from, to which she would reply that God provides to whom He wills. Scholars have debated as to whether this refers to the miraculous food that Mary received from God or whether it was normal food. Those in favor of the former view state that it had to be miraculous food, as Zechariah being a prophet, would have known that God is the provider of all sustenance and thus would not have questioned Mary, if it was normal food.”[2]

Also from the same Wikipedia article:

Annunciation in miniature

“The virgin birth of Jesus is supremely important in Islam, as one of the most important miracles of God. The first explicit mention of an annunciation foreshadowing the birth of Jesus is in sura 19 (Maryam), ayah 20 where Mary asks Gabriel (Jibril) how she will be able to conceive, when no man has touched her. Gabriel’s reply assures Mary that for God all things are easy and that Jesus’s virgin birth will be a sign for mankind. The birth is later referred in sura 66 (At-Tahrim), ayah 12, where the Quran states that Mary remained “pure”, while God allowed a life to shape itself in Mary’s womb. A third mention of the annunciation is in sura 3 (Al-Imran), ayat 42–43, where Mary is also given the glad tidings that she has been chosen above all the women of creation.

“Commentators on the Qur’an remark on the last verse that Mary was as close to a perfect woman as there could be, and she was devoid of almost all failings. Although Islam honors numerous women, including Khadijah and Fatimah, many commentators followed this verse in the absolute sense, and agreed that Mary was the greatest woman of all time. Other commentators, however, while maintaining that Mary was the “queen of the saints”, interpreted this verse to mean that Mary was the greatest woman of that time and that Fatimah and Khadijah were equally great. According to exegesis and literature, Gabriel appeared to Mary, who was still young in age, in the form of a well-made man with a “shining face” and announced to her the birth of Jesus. After her immediate astonishment, she was reassured by the angel’s answer that God has the power to do anything. The details of the conception are not discussed during these angelic visits, but elsewhere the Qur’an states (sura 21, (Al-Anbiya), ayah 91 and 66:12) that God breathed “His Spirit” into Mary while she was chaste.”[3]

The Islamic writings of Mary and Joseph have been changed and it is hard to pin down what they truly think of either one of them. Mary is supposed to be highly thought of in their writings and Joseph is hardly mentioned. Joseph is mentioned in one of its chapters, and it vaguely mentions Joseph as Yusuf, as being thought of by the people, to be Jesus’ father. In the Quran Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah 19 says this:

‘Muhammad bin Ishaq said, “When she conceived him and filled her water jug (at a well), she returned (to her people). After this, her menstrual bleeding ceased and she experienced what the pregnant woman experiences of sickness, hunger, change of color and there was even a change in the manner of her speech. After this, no people came to visit any house like they did the house of Zakariyya. The word spread among the Children of Israel and the people were saying, ‘Verily, her partner (in fornication) was Yusuf, because there was no one else in the temple with her except him.’ So she hid herself from the people and placed a veil between herself and them. No one saw her and she did not see anyone else.’’’[4]

The Muslims have many “holy” writings, but they seem to contradict each other. I am not familiar with any of them, but their view of Mary and Joseph is entirely different to what our Scriptures state. They, however, seem to, respect Mary somewhat.

We’ve dealt with some misconceptions about Joseph’s age and that his children with Mary were born of her and not a previous wife. There is another legend about Mary that states that she was also immaculately conceived. Her mother was also pregnant with her, through the Holy Spirit, the same way she was pregnant with Christ. The legend holds that Mary was to be sinless so that she could bear the Messiah. This is all nonsense! Mary was born with the sin nature just like the rest of us. She was not immaculately conceived. She had an earthly father who, with her mother, conceived her the same way all of us were conceived.

The International Marian Commission made a claim that is not yet accepted by the pope and most of the leaders in the Catholic Church. They want to officially claim that Mary was on the same level as Christ and that she, too, was crucified with Him on a cross. Sigh… okay, that one is false and we all know that. Mary is not God. Mary cannot save you. Mary needed a Savior just like we do and Mary trusted in her God, Jesus, yes, her Son, to save her from her sins too. She is not to be venerated, worshipped, prayed to, none of that is acceptable. She’d tell you herself that this was apostasy, and it is! Only her Son was fully God and fully man. Mary was not.[6] In 2016, this group pressured the Pope to acknowledge and declare that Mary be recognized as the Co-Redemptrix of Christ. Co-Redemptrix is a title used by some Roman Catholics for the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as a Catholic theological concept referring to Mary’s role in the redemption of all peoples.[7] They believe Mary is Mediatrix of All Grace (In Roman Catholic Mariology, the title Mediatrix refers to the intercessory role of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a mediator in the salvific redemption by her son Jesus Christ, and that he bestows graces through her)[8], and that Genesis 3:15, the prophecy of the woman’s seed, bringing us the Messiah, foreshadows Mary’s victory over Satan and sin because of the immaculate conception, which prepared her to be the perfect human partner of Jesus.[9] His perfect partner? His mother? Do we add her to the Godhead with the Father and the Holy Spirit? Absolutely not!!! The Godhead or Trinity consists only of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)

To say she is on the same level with Jesus Christ is one of the greatest heresies that I have ever heard of! The statement made by the International Marian Commission states:

“We believe that a public acknowledgement of Mary’s true and continuous role with Jesus in the saving work of Redemption would justly celebrate the role of humanity in God’s saving plan and lead to the release of historic graces through an even more powerful exercise of Our Lady’s maternal roles of intercession for the Church and for all humanity today.”[10]

This shows us that Satan twists anything and everything he can to draw us away from the TRUTH, which is the Word, which is Christ.

Mary is mentioned in the writings of Justin Martyr, Ignatius, Tertullian, and Athanasius, in apocryphal works such as the Protoevangelium of James (2nd Century), and in the deliberations of the Counsel Ephesus (A.D. 431), where she was proclaimed “Theotokos”, “God Bearer”. This and other sources is how the cult of Mary came into being and grew quickly, especially in the Roman Catholic, Anglo-Catholic, and Orthodox Churches.[11] Tradition states Mary’s mother’s name as Anne. The Catholic Church also claims this, and states her father’s name as Joachim, but in Mary’s genealogy listed in Luke, her father’s name is given as Heli.[12]

It is true that Mary’s devotion to God was so great that she is the one God chose to bear His Son. She was highly favored and highly blessed among women. In Luke 1:28 we read:

‘The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”‘ The word used as “Favored” here is really the word “Grace”. Mary was the recipient of God’s grace. Many have taken this verse and made it say that she was a source of grace. The Latin used here is “Ave Maria”, and is the source of the song, “Gratia plena”, which means “full of grace.”[13] Mary was a sinner who needed a Savior, just like every other man or woman. She was not born without sin.

Mary was a godly young lady. She had been taught the Scriptures and memorized them. Later, when she praises God in what is called the “Magnificat”, you will see that each phrase is from a different Psalm. She knew her Scriptures very well. She was very devout, godly, and chaste. She was pure, meaning she was a virgin, just as the Bible says. She was not a virgin forever though, as the Catholics believe. Matthew 1:24-25 makes it clear that after Christ’s birth, Joseph and Mary had a normal marital relationship. Her other children were just that, her other children, with Joseph. Not just Joseph’s children from a previous marriage. They were hers. She gave birth to them all.

The angel then told her she was to bear the Messiah. She is troubled… meaning scared. Wouldn’t you be? She asks him how, since she is not married and he tells her that the Holy Spirit will come on her, and the power of the Most High will overshadow her and the baby will be born and be called the Son of God (Luke 1:26-35).

Now we will go to when Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem. They are married now and must go to Bethlehem for a census decreed by Caesar Augustus. Mary was very pregnant by now, but there were to be no exceptions, everyone had to go. Both Mary and Joseph descended from the line of David, and his birthplace was in Bethlehem.

The trip to Bethlehem was around 80 or 90 miles. We see paintings, pictures, graphics, and Christmas cards depicting Joseph leading a donkey with Mary riding on it. Where does it say in the Bible that Mary rode on a donkey? It doesn’t say it anywhere. It is tradition. It is a story passed down repeatedly until it is believed to be in the Scriptures. Kind of like the saying, “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” That is not in the Bible either. Just a saying that became so popular it is thought of as Scripture. Now think about it. How many pregnant women do you know that could travel on a donkey, probably side=saddle, for 90 miles? I’ve had three kids and there was no way I would be able to do this. For one thing, your back would make you want to die, you’d have to take many bathroom breaks. Being jostled would be almost unbearable being that pregnant on the back of a donkey. There would be no balance, and then there is the risk of falling off the donkey. I do not believe for one minute that Joseph would ever allow her to ride on any donkey, not even for a mile. Joseph was a carpenter, meaning he more than likely built, or already had one he’d built, a cart of some kind, a wagon. They had to take provisions as well. That poor little donkey would never make it to Bethlehem carrying both Mary and their provisions. Mary riding in a wagon, with blankets and bedding makes more sense, and their provisions could be loaded into it as well. Common sense tells us that she rode in a wagon, or she could have walked it, but I seriously doubt it. However, she got there, the Bible does not say, nor does it matter, it is just more sensible to believe they had a wagon or cart of some kind.[14]

Kataluma – Upper level is the house, the first level is the stables.

They arrive in Bethlehem. It is crowded because of all the people there for the census. The Bible says that there was no room for them in the inn. The word for “inn” in the Hebrew is “katalyma” or “Kataluma”.[15]

This can mean inn, and it can mean an eating room or dining room. It also means guest chamber. This word is only used one other time in the New Testament – Mark 14:24 and Luke 22:11. In these two passages this word is used for the room Jesus had His last supper with His disciples before His crucifixion. It was the “upper room” of a private house that was furnished as a guest house. Archaeologists who have excavated such houses in Israel find these type rooms many times. It can be called an inn, but usually it was just the guest room in a house. Most are stone built. Also, back in this time, housing was a bit different than it is today. Tradition states that Mary gave birth in a stable, either built of wood, or inside a cave. Well, yes, but no. It is more likely that Mary gave birth in the home of a relative in this type of house.[16]

Another view of a Kataluma. The house upstairs, the stables down below.

Back then, and even still today in some places, owners of flocks of sheep and other small livestock, built their homes with two stories. Not all homes were but those with flocks usually were built this way. The actual home itself is on the second floor. The stables were on the first floor. Shepherds learned that if they put their flocks inside on the first floor, with stalls and a manger, they would not be stolen, they would not be out in the cold at winter time, and if an animal was sick or about to give birth, the owner could take care of them simply by going downstairs. When the flocks were inside at night, their body heat would radiate upwards, keeping the house above it warm during the winter. These types of homes were common in Israel at that time. Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem, and sometime soon after they get there, Mary begins to go into labor. Was it the night they arrived in Bethlehem? Scripture doesn’t tell us, it only says her time to give birth came while she is there. The house they are staying at does not have any room for them upstairs, but there was room in the stables below.[17]

Jesus was not born in December. It is more likely He was born during the Feast of Tabernacles, which was around the 29th of September the year He was born.[18] During this time of the year, the weather is very warm and the flocks were in the fields that night being watched over by shepherds.[19] Unless one was sick or about to give birth, there were no animals in the stable on the first floor of the house. The stalls were clean, and fresh hay had been always available in the manger. The place where the baby Jesus was laid was a feeding crib. Our idea of a manger is very different than that of ancient times. The Greek word for manger is the word “phatne,” and it meant the manger was a ledge or projection in the end of a room used as a stall on which the hay or other food was placed for the animals of travelers. Biblical archaeologists have stated that this is what the manger was like where Jesus was born. They state that He was born in the house of relatives, but under the normal living and guest quarters. Not in a cave or in a barn, but in the stables, that made up the first floor of a house. He was safe and warm, and Joseph could go upstairs to the living quarters of a relative and get whatever was needed to care for Mary’s and Jesus’ needs, such as food and water, blankets, etc. His birth was still humble. Being born in a stable in this manner in no way takes away anything of relevance or importance.[20]

There are those who teach that Jesus did not receive Mary’s DNA. That He was placed in her still as God with no human DNA. If this were true, then He would have not been fully human, fully God, yes, but with no human DNA. Jesus did receive Mary’s DNA when He was conceived. This is what gave Him His humanity. The Bible Answer Stand Ministry website says this about the DNA of Christ:

“Like all humans, at conception, Jesus inherited the mitochondrial DNA of his mother Mary. Unlike any other human conceived Jesus also received the male mitochondria during the insemination of Mary’s ova. God the Father insured the male mitochondria would be stored in the HEAD of the unique sperm cell He created in Mary’s fallopian tubes.”[21]

The Bible tells us sometime after Jesus’ birth that wise men came to worship and present gifts to the Messiah. These wise men had seen His star in the East and traveled to see Him (Matthew 2:1-2). The misconception here is that they arrived the night he was born, but they did not. The wise men traveled a long way to see the Christ child. They came from the East, probably from Babylon, where they saw the star shining in the West. There may have been three of them, though, because they brought three gifts, but there could have been more, or only two. The word used for them here is “Magi” and it is plural.[22] They arrived in Bethlehem about two years after Jesus’ birth. We know this because when the wise men were taken to Herod, they told him how long it had been when the star appeared. When they did not return to him and tell him where the child was living, he ordered the deaths of every child that was two years old and under, but Joseph was warned in a dream to take the baby and Mary to Egypt, which he did immediately. They stayed in Egypt until Joseph was told in a dream that it was safe to go back to Israel because Herod had died. Joseph intended to return to the area of Bethlehem, but upon finding out Herod’s son was now king, Joseph instead took them to live in Nazareth, because Herod’s son was just as wicked as his father had been.

Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are not mentioned again until Jesus is twelve years old. They had gone to Jerusalem for the Passover, apparently in a caravan and on the way home, Mary and Joseph thought he was with relatives in the caravan and did not discover He was missing until the next day. She and Joseph returned to Jerusalem to search for Him and found Him in the temple three days later. He was at the temple speaking to the teachers there, who were amazed by His knowledge of the Scriptures. Now, it had been that long that she had been looking for Him and she is a bit annoyed that He had done this. He told her she should have known where He was, in His Father’s house doing His Father’s business. They returned to Nazareth and lived quietly there. Joseph is not mentioned again after this passage of Scripture and we must assume it is because he has died sometime between the years when Jesus was 12 and found in the Temple to when Jesus began His ministry around the age of thirty.

The next we see Jesus, He had gathered His disciples, and he had followers who were always there for Him, ready to do whatever was required to help Him or see to His needs. There were also women who followed Him too, Mary Magdalen, Mary of Bethany, Martha (sister of Mary of Bethany), and at times His mother, Mary, was with Him, Salome, the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and Mary, the wife of Clopas.

During her marriage to Joseph, Mary had given birth to several more children after the birth of Jesus. Aside from Jesus, Mary had other sons, Joses (Joseph), James, Judah (Jude- he was not Judas Iscariot), and Simon (not Simon Peter). She had daughters as well, but the number she had is not known, nor are their names. These sons did not believe their brother Jesus was who He and Mary said He was. After His resurrection, though, they all came to believe. James became the head of the Jerusalem Church and both he and Jude wrote the books in the New Testament that bears their names. Tradition has that James was martyred in the early A. D. 60s. Mary’s loss of another son (if she was still alive) would have been just as heartbreaking as the first Son’s death, but she trusted her Son, whom she trusted as her Savior, and she knew they were now with Jesus, and that they were safe. According to tradition, the other two sons became missionaries,

Now we come to the death of Jesus. Mary has seen her son beaten, scourged, saw the crown of thorns that had been jammed onto His head, how her heart would have wanted to burst with the pain. She was in the crowd following Him, watching Him carrying the beam of wood to His cross, the beam that His hands would be nailed to. With every pound of the hammer on the nails as they were driven into His hands and feet, she felt them too. In her very soul, she felt them. She watched as He was lifted up on the cross and watched Him slowly die an agonizing death. He hung on that cross for six hours. She felt the darkness that swallowed them up as God poured out His wrath upon the sins that His Only Son bore for humanity. She felt the earthquake as He died. She watched as they stuck the spear in His side and the water and blood flow from the wound. She waited as they lowered His body from the cross for them to take and bury in a borrowed tomb. As a mother myself, I don’t know how she could bear it, other than knowing that her Son was the Son of God and there was still more yet to come. She had hope in this. She trusted God. She knew this could not be the end. And she was right. The best was yet to come, in just three days.

The Three Mary’sLet’s go back a bit to when Jesus was still on the cross, Mary was not alone as she stayed there with her Son.

“….But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag’dalene.” John 19:25 (Clopas is also Cleopas) (RSV)

“There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Mag’dalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salo’me, who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered to him; and also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.” Mark 15:40-41 (RSV)

There has always been some confusion here about the Mary’s and who was Mary’s sister. The way John reads, it seems that Mary of Clopas (Cleopas) was her sister. There is a story inwe tradition that says that Heli, Mary’s father wanted a son. When she was born, he was so disappointed and bitter because she was a girl, that he named her Mary. Mary can mean “bitter”. When his wife became pregnant again, he prayed for a son, but got another daughter and he named her Mary too. It’s a bit humorous, but untrue. When we read the account in Mark, another woman is named, Salome. There is no mention of Mary of Clopus in Mark’s account.

Let’s backtrack just a bit.

“And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb’edee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb’edee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.” Matthew 4:21 (RSV)

“among whom were Mary Mag’dalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zeb’edee.” Matthew 27:56 (RSV)

Matthew 4:21 gives us the names of two brothers, James, and John. Their father was called Zebedee. We see in Matthew 27:56 that their mother, name not given here, is with the women who were at the cross, and Mary, the mother of James (the Less) and (Joses) Joseph is also there.

We can take these four verses and identify which Mary was which and who Salome was. Mary Magdalene was there with Mary, Jesus’ mother. Now, the Book of John (19:25) states that with Mary (Jesus’ mother), her sister is there, and it seems to be Mary of Clopas. Mark adds another woman, Salome. So, we have at the cross, Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Salome (some Bibles render it to say “Mary, the wife of Clopus”).

Mark 15:40 identifies that one of the Mary’s is the mother of James (the Less) and Joses. We know this is not Mary Magdalene or Jesus’ mother. Matthew 27:56 confirms this, as it states that James’ and Joses’ mother was named Mary. All that is left is Salome. Matthew 27:56 states that the mother of James and John (Jesus’ disciples), called Zebedee’s sons were there. Well, she can’t be any of the Mary’s. So that leaves Salome. Since she is mentioned by name, this means she is important somehow.

Mary of Clopas (Cleopas)

Mary of Clopas comes after the statement, “… His mother’s sister, Mary of Clopas”. This is where the legend of Mary having a sister named Mary came from. Only, this is not true. Mary of Clopas is not Mary’s sister. How do we know?‘“That very day two of them were going to a village named Emma’us, about seven miles from Jerusalem, …Then one of them, named Cle’opas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”’ Luke 24:13,18 (RSV)

Cleopas is Clopas, Mary’s husband. It is thought that his companion was Mary, the wife of Clopas. How do we know this?

“and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot,” 6:15 (RSV)

Mary’s sons were identified as James and Joses in Mark 15:40. Her husband is Clopas, also called Alphaeus, and is identified as such in:

‘And as he passed on, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.’ Mark 2:14 (RSV)

“Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus” Matthew 10:3

“Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean” Mark 3:18 (RSV)

“and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot”

Luke 6:15 (RSV)

“So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag’dalene.” John 19:25 (RSV)

As we see in the above verses, Alphaeus (aka Clopas) is the father of James (the Less). We know it is not the other James because his brother is John and they are the sons of Zebedee. James’ (the Less) brother was Joses. According the verses, he had another brother named Levi and possibly another brother named Simon. Levi was Matthew, another of Jesus’ disciples. Both James (in tradition) and Matthew had been tax collectors. This makes Matthew and James brothers, although some believe they are the same person, Matthew, but this cannot be, because both of them are listed as one the twelve disciples. Clopas is also thought to have been the brother of Joseph, Mary’s husband and earthly father of Jesus. With this connection, we can see that Mary of Clopas is not Mary’s sister, but her sister-in-law. That covers all the Mary’s at the cross with Mary, Jesus’ mother. Salome is all that is left, and it fits. She is the mother of James and John, and the wife of Zebedee. Matthew 27:56 states that the mother of the sons of Zebedee was among the women by Mary at the foot of the cross.

“among whom were Mary Mag’dalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zeb’edee.” Matthew 27:56 (RSV)

The Disciple (and cousin) of Jesus, called John, and Mary, Jesus’ mother at the cross.

Salome is named in Mark 15:40 as being with Mary at the cross. Salome is the sister of Mary, mother of Jesus. Jesus, when He was dying on the cross, was surrounded by His family. His aunt Salome, along with her son John, the disciple that Jesus loved, as well as His Aunt Mary, even though her sons were not there but in hiding, for fear they would be arrested. These were His cousins, James (the Greater), James (the Less), and Matthew (Levi). Only one disciple, His cousin John (son of Salome and Zebedee), the disciple whom Jesus loved, was with Him while He was on the cross. A loving and supportive family surrounded Mary as they watched her Son die. These women had followed Him the three years He taught and preached, and His Aunt Mary was with Mary Magdalene as they made the way to His tomb only to find He was not there, but resurrected.

John, a disciple (and cousin) of Jesus, at the foot of the cross with Mary, His mother, as Jesus hands over her care to John.

We must not forget Jesus’ caring for the welfare of His mother by providing for her after His death, as He placed her into the care of John, the disciple, and the cousin of our Lord.

‘When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own [home].”’ John 19:26-27 (NKJV)

Now that all the misconceptions have been dealt with and cleared up, next time we will discuss the life of Mary.